"web content delivery systems" - gilbane boston 2010

Web Content Delivery Systems

@gadgetopia

The Point

To get you thinking about content delivery, as opposed to content production

Identification of various delivery architectures

To consider the delivery tier in terms of what services it provides to enhance content

To use the delivery tier to enhance content, no matter where it originated

What is content delivery?

That moment when you display some media in a browser window and an

end user consumes it.

The Four Disciplines

1. Content Modeling

2. Content Creation

3. Content Management

4. Content Delivery

Two Tiers

1. Content Modeling

2. Content Creation

3. Content Management

4. Content Delivery

Production

Delivery

In the end, delivery is the only thing the end user directly cares about.

It’s like a duck…

Photo Credit: Flickr user “theharv58”

Production vs. Delivery

Content production is everything that it took to create and manage a piece of content

Everything up until you press the “Publish” button

Content delivery is everything is takes to get that content to a consumable location in a form that allows a user to interact with it

1.Allows consumption

2.Allows interaction

Transmission and Transformation

Enhancement

The Delivery Tier

This is the environment from which the content is served to the user

“Delivery / Presentation + Tier / Layer”

“The Runtime”

Delivery Tier Enhancements

Navigation

Commenting

Rating

Search

A/B Testing

SEO

Analytics

Permissions

Delivery ArchitectureCoupled vs. Decoupled

Coupled Systems

Content production and delivery take place on the same system

Most low- to mid-range systems today are coupled

Common for .Net and open-source systems

Producers

Consumers

CMS

Decoupled Systems

The delivery tier is decoupled from the production tier

Content is produced in one system, then transmitted to another system for delivery

Common for Java-based systems

Delivery tiers have varying degrees of intelligence

Producers

ConsumersWeb Servers

CMS

Survey

Advantages of Coupled

More immediate for editors

Delivered content is still connected

Has the full power of the CMS behind it

Intake of user-generated content is easier

Advantages of Decoupled

Delivery tier can be simpler

Delivery tier not bound to CMS platform

Easier and cheaper to scale

Integrates better with existing systems

Security – the external Web site is not the repository

How smart is your delivery tier?

In a coupled system, the delivery tier is as smart as the CMS

In a decoupled system, it can vary wildly

The trend is towards smarter delivery tiers productized by the CMS vendor

How smart is your delivery tier?

“Raw” Web serverHas no idea where the content came fromHas no knowledge of or connection to the

CMS

Active Delivery TierHand-built or productizedOften serves other purposes

Is there another option?

Having content in an ECM system behind the firewall is a long way from

publishing it in a usable format.

CMSProducers

Consumers

Repo Repo

Web Servers

Part of the CMS publishes to the delivery tier.

CMS

Producers

ConsumersApplication

CMS publishes to an application written solely for

content delivery.

CMS

Producers

ConsumersWCMS

CMS publishes to a genuine WCMS.

Delivery Tier Enhancements

Navigation

Commenting

Rating

Search

A/B Testing

SEO

Analytics

Permissions

Web Server

Photo Credit: Flickr user “jhf”

•Commenting•Rating•Search•Permissions Management•Navigation Management•A/B Testing

WCMS

Photo Credit: Flickr user “Tjflex2”

The delivery tier must not only deliver content, but much enhance it.

CMS

ConsumersWCMS

Allow content to be aggregated in the delivery tier

Flat Files

SQL

ConsumersWCMS

Allow content to be aggregated in the delivery tier

Flat Files

SQL

Producers

CMS

Producers

ConsumersWCMS

CMS publishes to a portal

“Uh…”

Photo Credit: Flickr user “aaipodpics”

Are portal-ish products the future of content delivery?

Things to look for

Solid API and integration points

Strong import/export functionality

Repository abstraction

Blend Interactivehttp://blendinteractive.com

Gadgetopiahttp://gadgetopia.com

Twitter@gadgetopia

Email

deane@blendinteractive.com